


Life's Nonexistent Dream

by ReiraSpaceMuffin



Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: Adoption, Age Difference, Aged-Up Character(s), Family, M/M, Romance, the age difference is different
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-16
Updated: 2017-10-15
Packaged: 2018-09-24 22:33:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 17,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9790085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReiraSpaceMuffin/pseuds/ReiraSpaceMuffin
Summary: Mitsuki is a man with little aspirations after he's reached his 30's and has been living life like a chore. However, that changes with the new presence of a small boy and a strange (but beautiful) foreigner.





	1. Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks, Uno for helping me out!! Haha, this is my first fic here and first fic for Idolish7! I hope you like it!

“Takehiko! Your shoes!” Mitsuki exclaimed, chasing after a small boy with your standard pair of white sneakers.

“But, I don’t like them! They’re too tight!” The child screamed back, running faster. He didn’t get too far until he found himself right in front of the door, he was trapped.

“Huh?! Why didn’t you say so earlier?! I could’ve loosened them and we wouldn’t have had to run around like crazy, wasting our calories!” The man shot back, panting slightly from exhaustion. Mitsuki s hands were on his knees as he tried to regain composure.

It was 8:00 AM and the two of them had to go to the park together and grab some of the free goods that were offered before noon. It was almost like a Fair and those who had more than they needed would always be there to give it out for free. There was mostly food but sometimes there would be used clothes as well. Mitsuki had always liked it whenever something was being offered for free, so once he had moved here he and Takehiko had been going in the morning ever since. It wasn’t to say Mitsuki was terribly poor or anything, he made a decent salary, but it wasn’t exactly enough for both of them to get both food and things for entertainment. So, as a compromise, Mitsuki would find as many cheap or free things as possible to try and save money for special occasions.

The shoes Mitsuki had bought for Takehiko weren’t the best and were hard to get on so Mitsuki always tied them maybe a bit too tight but this was the first time the small boy ever complained about it.

“Here, let me do it again and this time tell me when it starts to hurt, okay?” He asked, trying to sound understanding and not too demanding.

“Okay Daddy,” the boy responded. Mitsuki's eyed flicked up very quickly as he was startled slightly. The feeling quickly left as he thought about how unused to the name he was even after the last few months of raising Takehiko.

After tying the laces swiftly he looked up at the boy from his kneeling position,

“There, that feel better?” He asked. Takehiko nodded, a smile growing on his face. Mitsuki couldn’t help but smile back at such a charming display. He then stood up and dug through his jacket pocket for his keys. Suddenly he felt a small poke.

“Hmm?” He made the small noise of inquiry as he looked down to see a small hand reaching out towards him.

“Saki-chan says her daddy holds her hand while they walk!” He said.

Mitsuki stared at the little hand and slowly took it into his own. Sighing, he unlocked the door and stepped out, with the boy following behind him.

\----

As they walked, the little boy gaped at almost anything he saw. The early morning smell of breakfast being cooked in nearby café, the birds flying around trying to get their own food and the other children that were playing in the streets. The child was just fascinated with the world around him and understandably so. The boy was only five years old after all and Mitsuki clearly remembers what his little brother was like at that age.

Iori wasn’t as openly engaged with everything, he was more quiet and reserved but there would be moments when his little eyes would sparkle. Mitsuki started feeling guilty at the thought of his brother. He hadn’t seen him in almost 7 months since Iori moved away to live with his ill boyfriend.

Reminding himself to at least call Iori sometime soon, he continued walking towards the destination. Once the two arrived they started walking and browsing through the various little table set ups.

“So how is kindergarten going? You mentioned a Saki-chan earlier?” Mitsuki started up a small conversation with his son.

“Oh, yeah she’s cool! Saki-chan, me and Yuu-chan will play together,” Takehiko said while rubbing his hands together. It was almost mid-February and the cold wasn’t going away anytime soon.

“Oh, that’s great! I remember meeting Saki-chan's mother when you started attending school. I hope I can meet Yuu-chans parents as well, he must be a nice boy,” Mitsuki said, smiling as to emphasise the happy feeling and also bring some feeling back into his face.

Mitsuki hated to admit it, but he felt his emotions around Takehiko were somewhat forced. As he grew older over the years he feels his youthfulness has been slowly wearing off bit by bit. When he was in his early 20s, he had been so energetic, and people had always told him he seemed almost like a high school student. Heck, he even had this one friend who claimed he looked like he was in elementary school, Mitsuki got mad at him a lot about it. Now, at the ripe old age of 34 his energy felt completely drained all the time, just unlike how his past-self was. However, he still looked like he was still only in his 20s. At least that was something good.

He sighed, feeling exhausted just thinking about it and looked down to see Takehiko staring at the fresh bread in front of him and then eventually grabbing a loaf. Mitsuki smiled at that and despite not feeling complete love towards the boy, he could still say that he did care for him. But love? Mitsuki couldn’t quite feel it yet and was starting to worry that he was secretly a heartless jerk.

He took Takehiko's hand again and started pulling the boy towards the short line. Even if everything was free, there were still bagging options and Mitsuki would take advantage of that because there is no way just the two of them could carry it all back.

“So, What size bag would you like?” Said a voice. Mitsuki looked up to see a man standing in front of various types of bags. His eyes were the clearest blue you’d ever seen and his hair was really silky looking, too silky to not be foreign. Mitsuki eventually realised he was being spoken to and jumped slightly out of surprise.

“Ah, yes… The medium?” He asked, trying to hide his embarrassment. The man reached out to grab the few loafs of bread out of Mitsuki's hand and Mitsuki felt the soft fingers lightly brush his palm. He could not stop staring.

“T-thank you!” He eventually stuttered out. Just as he started to head back with his son he heard the voice speak again;

“Of course, _My Princess._ ”

Now Mitsuki wasn’t too good when it came to his English skill but he still knew what was just said.

“I’m a man, darn it!” He yelled back. He then realised others were staring at him.

Blushing slightly, he took Takehikos hand once more and started heading out of the park and towards his small apartment. Mitsuki continued to make little irritated noises under his breath as he walked and Takehiko just stared in awe. It was the first time he saw his new father express that sort of emotion and it was… different and kind of amusing. Takehiko smiled at the thought and squeezed his hand tighter around Mitsuki's.

 _Daddy’s made a weird face. I never thought he could, but I want to see it again._ The boy thought to himself as the park slowly went out of their view.


	2. A Sudden Invitation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takehiko is only 5 and I know some kids can read at that age but since he lived in an orphanage it made more sense for me to have him struggle with it. Beta'd(?) by Uno again

The door shut behind the two of them with a small bang and the key was removed swiftly from the hole. Mitsuki pocketed said key and then bent down to untie his shoes. As he was placing the shoes neatly on the ground he felt a small tug on his sleeve.

“Daddy, are you a princess?” The small boy asked, eyes wide and almost sparkling.

“What, of course no-” Mitsuki stopped mid-sentence when Takehiko’s small face began to fall. Sighing, he scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment.

“Yeah, sure… I guess,” Mitsuki said slowly.

The little boy smiled widely at that. He knew already the difference of a prince and a princess, but he decided his father was perfect for the role after what had happened that morning.

 _Damn that stupid blonde guy! Putting ideas into Takehiko’s head like that!_ Mitsuki thought while clenching his fist as if man was in front of him, he would have punched him right there and then.

Most children would be concerned if they ever saw their parent making such a pose, but Takehiko was too entertained by the display to be frightened.

Takehiko removed his own shoes and placed them next to Mitsuki’s. He scurried past the kitchen and climbed onto the couch in the living room. He grabbed the picture book that was sitting on the cushion and started to flip through the pages. Takehiko was not quite sure what it was about, since he could barely, but he recognised that the two main characters were members of royalty. Glancing away from the pages, he took a peek at Mitsuki and then thought back to the princess in the book. Giggling to himself, he thought of what his father would look like with all the jewels and the pretty dress.

“What are you laughing at?” Mitsuki asked once he heard the noise. The little boy looked at his father and smiled but didn’t say anything. Mitsuki sighed.

“Okay, then… What do you want for lunch?” He asked, going over to the tiny closet and grabbing an apron off the top shelf.

“I want… uh yakisoba?” The boy answered, unsure to whether that was the correct name.

“Eh? That will take some time you know, are you sure?”

Takehiko nodded, not minding if he had to wait a little, even though he didn’t have too much for breakfast before they went out.

“If you say so…” Mitsuki answered, smiling slightly as he grabbed a pan from a lower cabinet.

Takehiko watched his father prepare the food in awe. He liked Mitsuki’s cooking a hundred times more than anything else he’d ever had, including the food he was fed in the orphanage. It was both fun to eat and fun to watch the food being made in the boy’s opinion, and he found himself looking forward to watching Mitsuki cook. That’s the main reason why he had even asked for this dish in the first place! Plus it tasted good.

As Mitsuki cooked, Takehiko continued to look through his book. This was a new book that Mitsuki had yet to read aloud to the boy, so Takehiko didn’t know what was going on except for what happened in the pictures. He put it down on the tiny table in front of him and started walking to his room.

Once he got there, he looked at his bookshelf and grabbed one of the books he’d already read with his father. He held it with both hands, scurrying back to the living room and climbing back onto the small couch. Takehiko was fairly good at remembering details and could remember most of the plot of the book. It was about a little girl who broke into the house of three bears.

“ _Now, Takehiko, don’t actually do this because you can get into a lot of trouble,_ ” Mitsuki had told him when they first read the story together. Takehiko rolled over on his stomach and started looking at the pages, slowly admiring the beautiful art on each one.

 

Just about thirty minutes had passed and Mitsuki was finally done with the yakisoba. He put a serving on each plate and walked over to the living room. They would usually eat meals in the kitchen, but Mitsuki just felt like the living room would be a good place for now.

Mitsuki had only barely eaten four bites when the phone began to ring. Sighing, he got up and walked over to the wall it was hanging on.

 “Hello?” He answered once he picked it up.

 “Mitsu! Ah, I see you’re still alive,” the voice answered back in a slow drawl.

 “Huh?! What is that supposed to mean?!”

 Takehiko looked up from where he was sitting on the floor to watch his father and tried to listen in on the conversation. Mitsuki had been more lively today so far and the boy was enjoying it tremendously. 

The man on the phone was Nikaidou Yamato, an old friend of Mitsuki’s, whom he shared a room with in college. Their relationship was almost that of a cat and dog, always arguing. 

“Seriously, what did you call me for?” Mitsuki asked, his arms were crossed, his fingers were tapping the end of his elbow impatiently.

 “Ah, well it’s been such a long while since I last saw ya, so do you wanna go drinking?” Yamato asked.

 Mitsuki sighed at the thought. It had been a long time since he went drinking with others, and he found it hard to get into the mood for it. Plus, he couldn’t just leave Takehiko here, alone in the small apartment, when the boy was only five years old.

 “Yamato! Are you stupid?” He half screamed into the phone. “Didn’t you get my letter?!”

 

Mitsuki had sent him a letter six months ago, right after adopting Takehiko. Yamato was his only other friend who wasn’t family that he could share the news with, but he didn’t have the courage to say it over the phone.

 

“Oh yeah….. You have a kid right? How’d that happen, you get with someone?” Yamato asked, a smile in his tone.

 “I’m starting to think you didn’t actually read it…” Mitsuki said, his eyebrows twitching in annoyance.

 “Ah! I remember, he’s adopted! Ah that makes a lot more sense, cause I can’t see you ever fancying a woman,” the man on the other end said back.

Mitsuki sighed for the utmost time at that. Yamato was being way too straightforward.

“Don’t worry about it, Mitsu! I’ve got a kid here who can look after him!”

 “Wait, why?!” Mitsuki asked, getting concerned to why Yamato was housing this supposed kid.

 “He needed a place to stay near his college and he doesn’t have much money. He’s my doctor’s kid and I owed her, plus he’s not a bad kid!” Yamato explained in a rush.

Mitsuki was still very unsure. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Yamato, he just didn’t trust this one particular plan of his. It seemed clumsy and just plain stupid. 

“I don’t mind!” A little voice called out from behind him. Mitsuki saw Takehiko looking up at him as if he had been listening the whole time.

 “I’ll be good! I promise! Go!” Takehiko pleaded, eyes shining.

Mitsuki gave a defeated sigh.

“Alright, fine.”

  
_I better not regret this._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Also, here is the recipe for "Mitsu's" Yakisoba http://www.justonecookbook.com/yakisoba


	3. Playful Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mitsuki meets Yamato again and Takehiko meets Tamaki

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've tweaked the ages of the other characters so, Iori isn't going to be only 4 years younger than Mitsuki, he's actually 10 years younger because he just got out of college. Here's a list of the ages so far  
> Takehiko is 5, Tama is 20, Iori is 24, Riku is 25, Sougo is 33, Mitsu is 34 and Yamato is 35. Again, thx Uno for being my lovely beta

“Seriously, Yamato?” Mitsuki said with annoyance as he looked up to see the dingiest looking apartment building he’d seen in his life. It wasn’t to say that his own apartment was spectacular, but at least it looked decent and was on the ground floor. Yamato’s apartment was the first one on the second  floor. The staircase leading up to it was made out of rusting metal and the steps were more like a ladder, making it very steep. 

“Hey, I never said it was a stellar place,” the taller man said. 

_ What person in their right mind would want to stay here with this old fart? _ Mitsuki thought to himself, even if he was being a bit unfair since Yamato was only a year older than him.

“Come on!” The man ushered. “It looks better on the inside!”

Takehiko didn’t show any outward signs of nervousness. However, he was being very quiet while staring up at Yamato’s front door on the second floor.

Mitsuki bent down and picked the small boy up in his arms, making sure to support his thighs and started climbing the stairs carefully. Mitsuki knew it was impossible for the boy to climb those steep stairs. He also didn’t want to risk the boy cutting himself on the metal, even though he did get all of the required vaccinations not too long ago, including the tetanus shot.

Once the three of them reached the top Yamato took out his keys and opened the door to his apartment. 

“Huh, I guess you were right, for once,” Mitsuki said once he stepped in and looked at the place. It was a lot less cozy feeling than his own house and the colours were much darker. The walls painted a deep burgundy and the floor was a dark walnut wood. Just like Mitsuki’s apartment, the kitchen and living room were connected and it honestly could’ve just been mistaken for just one very large room.

Mitsuki carefully lowered Takehiko to the floor and the boy let go and started to look around. Takehiko took a quick glance at the room and was happy to see the large couch that was placed at the end of the living room. It was made of black leather and looked really comfortable. Takehiko was excited since the one they had at home was a bit too hard for his liking.

“How the hell can you afford this stuff if you’re living in this crap of an apartment?” Mitsuki asked after noticing the expensive looking couch and other objects.

“I got the place once I turned 30 and I didn’t have much money until I got my current job at the office. Plus I thought if I was going to ignore my parents for the rest of my life I might as well at least open that package they sent me back in college,” Yamato explained.

Mitsuki remembered that; back in college when they shared a room Yamato had gotten a package one day from his parents. It was filled with various material objects but also a thick envelope of money. Yamato hadn’t opened it since then, even after they graduated Mitsuki never saw him touch it again. Mitsuki was amazed Yamato even bothered to open it at all considering how upset he was when he first got it.

“Tama, the kid is here!” Yamato’s voice took Mitsuki out of his deep train of thought as he realised Yamato was no longer next to him and was not knocking on a door down the small hallway. 

The door opened slowly and Mitsuki suddenly grew anxious. What if this person was actually a little delinquent and Yamato had actually turned extremely foolish since he’d last seen him. Mitsuki’s worries did not ease away once the door was fully open. In the doorway stood a very tall young man. Heck, he was probably _ at least  _ 10 centimeters taller than Mitsuki. The shorter man was feeling honestly intimidated by this “kid”. That is until he started talking.

“Yama-san, I thought you said that I was going to get pudding?” The tall boy spoke.

_ Oh, so he’s just not that bright _ , Mitsuki thought to himself guiltily. He was no longer worried about the boy trying to intentionally harming his son but more of what would happen unintentionally.

Takehiko suddenly appeared behind Mitsuki’s legs. He clung to his father’s trousers and shyly peeked up at the tall boy standing before him.

Tamaki’s eyes lit up at the sight of the small boy. “Hello there,” he said, smiling, as he crouched down to Takehiko’s level. The small boy slowly stepped towards Tamaki, his small hand reached up and ruffled Tamaki’s sky blue hair. 

“It’s fluffy,” he said and giggled.

“Takehiko!” Mitsuki exclaimed, worried how the older boy would react to this sudden invasion of personal space.

“It’s cool,” Tamaki said. He reached his own large hand up to Takehiko’s head and gave it a pat.

“Okay, glad to see you get along! Let’s go Mitsu!” Yamato exclaimed. He grabbed Mitsuki by the elbow and dragged him out of the tiny hallway and back towards the front door.

“Oi, wait! Yamato!” Mitsuki yelped at the older man.

“Good luck! We’ll be back by 10!” Yamato called over his shoulder as the sound of a door slamming resounded clearly throughout the room.

  
  


Takehiko stood there watching the door. He half expected Mitsuki to come back, but he knew it wasn’t happening. The little boy couldn’t help but feel a bit uneasy. He’d only been living with Mitsuki for a little over six months but he realised now that he felt safe with the man. It wasn’t that the blue-haired boy he was currently with made him feel unsafe, he just missed the feeling his dad brought whenever they were together.

“Hey, it’s okay. They’ll be back real soon,” Tamaki said as he started to rise from his crouched position.

Takehiko felt calmer at that statement and felt himself smile. He was glad his father was able to be with his friend and have fun, and, with that thought in mind, he felt his nervousness ease away. He noticed Tamaki starting to walk towards the kitchen and he followed after swiftly.

“Hey kiddo, what do you like to eat?” Tamaki asked as he opened the double doors of the fridge. Inside there was a large array of different perishable foods, including an entire section that was just filled with little glass jars of pudding. Takehiko couldn’t help but stare at them as if he was becoming mesmerised. 

“You like them?” Tamaki questioned, quirking his eyebrow up in amusement.

“I’ve never seen them before,” the small boy admitted. 

Tamaki’s jaw dropped, his eyes bulged slightly as he fell to his knees and grasped Takehiko’s shoulders.

“Oh, you poor, poor child!” He exclaimed. “We’ll eat them right now!” 

Takehiko was slightly shocked at the older boy in front of him, but was able to nod in agreement.

His dad had never let him eat many sweets before dinner, but he figured if Mitsuki was able to go out and eat his favourite foods tonight, so should he. Tamaki picked him up gently and sat him atop the high chair that was next to the island in the middle of the kitchen. 

“Bon ape- whatever they say,” Tamaki said before he picked up the spoon and feeding himself the pudding. Takehiko followed suit. The little boy’s eyes lit up once the spoonful of pudding reached his mouth. Tamaki noticed the boys the delight and asked,

“It’s great isn’t it?!”

Takehiko nodded excitedly as he continued to scarf down more spoonfuls of the pudding. 

After they both finished eating, they went to sit on the couch. Takehiko was feeling more comfortable around Tamaki, he was even sitting in the blue-haired boy’s lap. Takehiko was also much more chatty now and would not stop talking and asking questions.

“What’s your favourite game?” 

“I like to play all types of video games! Once, Sou-chan played all sorts of other games all day with me on my birthday,” Tamaki explained.

“How old are you?”

“I’m 20 years old,” Tamaki revealed. He was in his first year of community college, so people still treat him as a kid.

“Daddy is older!” The child yelped. “What happened to your daddy?” He continued.

“My daddy was not a nice person so I went to live with someone else,” The older boy stated. He omitted a few other details that Takehiko was probably not ready to hear. After a long moment of silence, Tamaki continued,

“You have a new family, just like I did.” When he got no response, he looked down at his lap to see the small boy dozing off in his arms.

Tamaki smiled as he felt his own eyes begin to droop until they were eventually fully shut.


	4. Enchanté(e)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bars are fun, especially when your server is attractive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I forgot to mention Nagi's age. It's in this chapter, though! and also there is an "e" in parenthesis because Nagi refers to Mitsu with all the feminine names. XD. Thanks again, Uno!

“See! That wasn’t all that bad!” Yamato cheered as he jumped out from the driver’s seat. Mitsuki however, was wobbling slightly while trying to get down from the high step and then onto the ground. He stood there, slightly hunched over. His hand covered his mouth and he placed the other on his stomach.

“What the hell was that?” The shorter man murmured, the sound muffled by his palm.

“Mitsu! We were in that car for like eight minutes, you couldn’t have forgotten already!” He said with a mocking look on his face.

“I know how much fun it is to be with me on drives and all but Sou’s going to be the driver cause I plan on having fun. Plus, he’s fine with it cause he’s a really crazy drunk,” Yamato declared as he started walking towards the front door of the bar. Mitsuki started to feel slightly more uneasy at the idea now that it’s right in front of him. He remembered his last time drinking was also with Yamato but besides that, he could not recall anything else. However, he does clearly remember the stories told to him by other college friends that attended as well. They were not anything he was too proud of, but at least no one died.

The two of them walked through the door. The bar itself had a more western style, as it was much larger than Japanese bars usually were and there were also more tables. The bar itself was also a lot fancier and the glasses sparkled way too much for his liking and blinded him a bit.

“Ah, there’s Sou!” Yamato said before rushing over to greet a man sitting by himself. He had white hair, almost like snow and his eyes were very soft. Judging by his appearance alone, one would not expect such a shy and gentle looking man to be friends with the self-proclaimed sadist that is Yamato.

“Hello, Nice to meet you,” The man said. “I’m Osaka Sougo, but Sougo is fine.”

“Izumi Mitsuki,” The shorter replied.

“Yes, I was told a lot about you from Yamato-san when we first met!”

Mitsuki flushed in embarrassment as he knew very well that Yamato had most likely said some not so great things about him. It wasn’t like Mitsuki or Yamato were bad people but Yamato only seemed to remember embarrassing stories whenever meeting someone new.

The two of them sat down at the same end of the bar as Sougo, Mitsuki being in the middle seat between the two. Idle conversations started and Mitsuki was very shocked when Sougo told him he was younger than both of them.

“But you seem really mature, so much more than this guy,” Mitsuki said while pointing at Yamato with his thumb.

Sougo laughed. “I only met Yamato-san because he was taking Tamaki-kun in,” He explained.

“Oh, so are you and that kid related?”

“No, but I used to take care of him and his sister when they were children and we still keep in touch,” Sougo said as he tapped his glass softly, seemingly distracted by it.

“It’s really pretty isn’t it?” He asked.

“Yeah this bar is meant to have a foreign look to it, I guess,” Yamato replied. “Plus, I think Sougo is just upset he can’t drink and show off his ‘manly’ drunk side.” Sougo’s face went very red at that and he clenched the handle of the glass tighter.

“Ah, that’s not really the case…” He tried to explain but the other two were giving him bemused looks as if to say “ _Sure…_ ” So he shut up.

 

They kept quiet for a while until the bartender arrived. Mitsuki was distracted by the glasses as well when he heard a somewhat familiar voice,

“OH! It’s the _princess_ from the market!”

Yamato placed his hand over his mouth to poorly conceal the giggle that came out.

“What the?-” Mitsuki started but halted his speech when he looked up to see the man from the other morning. He was tall, like really tall, probably the same height as the Tamaki kid he met earlier that evening. He was clearly a bartender here, as he was wearing a fancy uniform in black.

“I did not expect to see you here!” The man exclaimed. His blue eyes sparkled with excitement and he moved slightly closer to Mitsuki.

“Well, of course, you wouldn’t! I don’t go around announcing my schedule to total strangers!” Mitsuki snapped back. He knew it was rude to speak this way to a man he’d only seen once, but it was his fault for calling him names in the first place!

“Wait, Mitsu! You don’t know this guy?!” Yamato asked, surprised.

“NO! Of course not! What does it even matter?” Mitsuki said. He was confused as to why Yamato brought up this point in the first place, it didn’t make sense.

“Oh, it’s just that you two seem rather… close,” The bespectacled man replied. He pushed his glasses up higher on his nose.

“Well, we aren’t! He’s just crazy!” Mitsuki whispered the last part.

“Then, I think we should start with introductions!” The stranger said with confidence. “I’m Rokuya Nagi and yes, my hair and eye colour are natural.”

Mitsuki took a closer look at his hair and realised that is was a very a golden yellow colour. He had never seen that hair colour in Japan before and it was genuinely surprising. Everything about this man turned out to be surprising.

“Well?” Nagi (as he is now known as) said.

“What?” Mitsuki replied, still annoyed.

“You never said your name, _ma belle_!”

Mitsuki cringed at the new nickname. Again, he didn’t know much of foreign languages but he could tell what was being said.

“Before I answer, can you tell me why you keep calling me girly things?!”

“Oh, that’s simply because I thought you were a girl when I first saw you. I call all women beautiful names!”

Mitsuki felt a vein pop on his forehead and a glare formed on his face. He already knew he was short, he didn’t need to be reminded. When he was in his twenties he still had hope that he’d grow but that hope had become minuscule over time.

“Well, I think you figured out that I’m not a girl pretty quickly, so why continue?” He asked, his patience dwindling.

“Because your reactions are really funny!” Nagi claimed, “We can become a boke and tsukkomi duo like this!”

Mitsuki slammed his head on the bar counter as Yamato and Sougo stared at the display, showing silent amusement.

“Oh, I almost forgot!” Nagi cried out. “What do you wish to order?!” The man had just wasted a good amount of time blabbing with them he forgot about his own job. He took out a small notepad and pen.

“I’ll take a beer, any brand works,” Yamato called out. He still held an air of discomfort towards Nagi and who could really blame him? This man was indeed, bizarre.

“Get me something fruity… and strong,” Mitsuki said, head still on the counter.

“Alrighty!” Nagi said. He turned to go towards the inner side of the actual bar until he heard a soft mumble.

“Izumi Mitsuki.”

“What was that?” He asked, genuinely confused.

“My name.”

Nagi’s eyes light up with excitement and shined like the millions of stars had all just lit up right there, in that moment. He smiled brightly, nodded and turned away to tend to the other customers.

 

 _Okay maybe he’s a pain but damn he’s beautiful,_ Mitsuki thought to himself while watching the man walk away. He felt like the air had actually become lighter from that interaction and Mitsuki was surprised from his own feeling of a very minor euphoria.

_Why am I acting so different?_

“Ah, screw this! I just want to have fun for a bit. Hey, old guy, when I get drunk just take me back to your place okay?” He declared, much more confident now.

“Oh, okay! You sure are fired up, all of a sudden,” The older man said with a smirk.

“Well yeah, I feel like getting drunk now!” Mitsuki was so much more energised now. He wasn’t pumped up or anything but he did feel like he had some sort of goal in mind, the first one he’s had in ages.

Not too long after Nagi came back with their drinks. The three of them then started to chat casually, Yamato finishing his beer rather quickly and calling Nagi back for another one. When Nagi returned with Yamato’s second beer he saw Mitsuki, who had his drink dribbling down his chin. He took the cloth napkin from his uniform pocket and handed it to the man.

“Thanks, kid,” Mitsuki said, feeling more open to talking after he finished half of whatever it is he even ordered.

“I’m actually turning 29 in the summer,” Nagi corrected him.

“Still a kid,” Mitsuki said. Nagi looked at Mitsuki and remembered how tall the man was standing up. He surely couldn’t be too old.

“Well, how old are you, Izumi-san?” Mitsuki groaned at the pronunciation of his last name coming from the man. He knew Nagi wasn’t fully Japanese but it still was sore to the ears.

“Just call me Mitsuki.”

“Oh, Mitsuki!” Oh gosh, that was even worse.

“Argh, whatever! I give up!” Mitsuki exclaimed while throwing his arms up in the air dramatically. That drink was definitely taking effect. Nagi looked very confused from this action. Hie eyebrows were furrowed and his lips were pursed slightly.

“I’m 34,” Mitsuki finally replied to the blonde’s question.

Nagi’s eyes bulged at that. Mitsuki was absolutely tiny from his point of view and he was having a hard time visualising the man to be any older than his mid-twenties. Turns out he was quite wrong.

After standing there in shock he heard a snap. It was Mitsuki and Nagi figured that was a signal to go back to working. He gave a short bow and walked off towards one of the tables. Mitsuki watched Nagi from where he was sitting. He really was quite the sight to see, Mitsuki had to admit to himself, but never out loud. The way he moved was almost like a swan gliding across the water. The way he smiled, it almost reminded Mitsuki of himself when he was younger.

Slowly, the glass became empty and Mitsuki found himself ordering something else after. He wasn’t quite sure what this was, as he just pointed randomly on the menu but damn, was it strong. Or, at least he thought it was.

“Ahahaha, remember when Iori ate that cake, that was soooo funny!” He yelled out after consuming more than half the glass.

“It was?” Yamato asked. Compared to Mitsuki, Yamato was better at holding his alcohol. It also helped that after his second beer he put a hold on drinking to listen to Mitsuki.

“Of course it was!!” Mitsuki slurred slightly, clearly intoxicated. “I’ve never seen the kid so expressive in my life.”

 _I haven’t seen_ you _so expressive in over four years_ , Yamato thought to himself. It was partially his fault for not re-connecting with Mitsuki sooner. However, he didn’t blame Mitsuki for wanting to be alone. It’s just that Yamato was now worried whether the younger man was doing alright, even with his newfound youngster. Yamato felt even Takehiko knew that Mitsuki wasn’t all that happy as well, children were very good at reading people, after all.

After listening to the shorter man blab for about ten more minutes Yamato felt it was a good time to have a discussion he’s wanted to have for years.

“Mitsu… can I talk to you about something?”


	5. Enduring The Reeling Babble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yamato gets to talk, sort of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took really long, Sorry ^^. Thanks again, Uno!!

“Mitsu, can I talk to you about something?”

 

Mitsuki spun his head in Yamato’s direction and nodded. His face was definitely redder than before and his eyes were rather unfocused as well. Despite all that, he wore the biggest lopsided smile on his face and it was quite the sight to see. Yamato couldn’t help but feel entranced with the man that he almost forgot to speak again.

“So… Were we ever a thing?” He finally said very slowly. Maybe now wasn’t the best time to bring this up. Mitsuki _was_ pretty drunk but the chances of ever getting an answer really were slipping out the window of opportunity. Hopefully he’d get some form of an answer but he wasn’t going to get his hopes up.

“I don’t know. I thought you were straight.” The response surprised Yamato more than anything. He thought about himself and he realised that that assumption was rather easy to make. Yamato took pride in being manly (or at least his own self-imposed version). Yamato was also known for being a bit of a swooner back in college, there was no evidence to prove that he was anything but straight.

“But that one time…” Yamato continued with caution, as he felt unsure of where this would lead him.

“Yamato! We didn’t actually _do_ anything, I swear you are so paranoid!” Mitsuki yelped. “If you’re so worried about catching my gay, you’re wasting your time! It doesn’t work like that.” Yamato sighed at Mitsuki’s statement as he ran his fingers through his hair in exasperation.

“That’s not what I meant,” Said Yamato. He didn’t know how to deal with the answer he received from his friend so he went quiet.

“Ahh, who cares anymore?! It’s in the past, better to forget!” Mitsuki yelled rather loudly causing people to look in their direction for a split second . Yamato was glad that Sougo had left this area of the bar to take a small walk around and chat because he didn’t feel like the man really needed to hear all of this.

“Yeah, Mitsu but you were never good when you ‘forgot’  your problems and issues,” Yamato replied. “It’s just you were always so sad looking those last few times we hung out that I felt you were still upset about-”

Mitsuki cut him off, “Please just because you _kissed me once_ doesn’t mean I hate you or anything!” His voice was slurred even more and he had a drunken smile on his face as he said this. “Plus, not everyone can be super content like you, all the time!”

“I never said I was. Listen, I know we broke off all contact before but we never ended our friendship, or whatever you wish to call it and I just want to make sure we can stay friends, at least!” Yamato was trying to be earnest but he found trouble forming the words. He remembered that it took a few months for them to flat out ignore each other after a series of events. However, in the past year, they somewhat contacted more since Mitsuki’s letter about adopting Takehiko.

“Sure,” Mitsuki said with a shrug. Yamato realised this was all he was going to get from the man and decided he should drop the subject for now. He tried to smile and joke with his friend after his nonchalant yes.

“Well, I’ll ask again when you sober up, or something. You were always a forgetful drunk, I suppose.”

“Yeah!” Mitsuki exclaimed, waving his arms around along with his excitement.

Yamato was oddly satisfied with some of the answers he got but he knew this wouldn’t be the end of this talk and he wanted to bring it up again sooner than later but for now, he decided just to end the night on a fun note.

Sougo returned shortly after and while Mitsuki continued to drink, Yamato also started to increase the number of glasses and all Sougo could do was pray. Sougo had also whispered to Yamato on whether he was able to talk to Mitsuki or not. Yamato simply said that the conversation ‘made progress but still needed a continuation for full closure’. So Sougo left the topic behind.

The night drew on until Sougo felt his two friends had enough to drink. He used his math skills and evenly split the bill between the three of them, careful to get the right amount out of each of their wallets (as they were both dead drunk now) and paid the bill along with a tip for the poor bartender. He also gave Nagi a tip when he bumped into the man on the way out, while half-carrying his friends.

Sougo chose to take the longer, more scenic drive back to Yamato’s apartment. The sky was filled with stars at this time and the moon was also beautiful that Sougo wanted some quiet time for himself as the other two adults slept in the back seats. Sougo also noticed that the streets were quieter at this time since it was basically the dead of night and he made a mental note that the sidewalks were actually a rather nice date-walk area.

Once he parked his car in a guest spot near Yamato’s front door, Sougo realised he would have a lot of trouble getting these two adults up the stairs. Slowly and carefully, he half-dragged, half-carried Mitsuki and Yamato up to the top stair, trying not to hurt either of the two.

He fished through Yamato’s bag to find his keys (which had some weird decorations on the chain but he wasn’t one to judge) and opened the door after he found them. Luckily, Yamato was smart enough to keep more than one extra futon and since Sougo was absolutely exhausted from hauling these two from place to place he just dropped them each on a separate futon right there in the front hallway instead of in a bed or anything.

Sougo walked over to the couch to lie his down when he saw Tamaki and Takehiko fast asleep on the couch. He smiled at the two and gave the small child a gentle pat on the head before falling into a rather dreamless sleep.

 


	6. How You Left Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flashback (Just in case you didn't figure it out during the first sentence)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've actually planned this scene a long time ago. It was going to be a lot simpler and then part three happened... enjoy. (Thanks, Uno again!)

Mitsuki looked up at the gate in front of him with large eyes. He had never been to a college campus before, and, even though he had visited this exact spot just a few months ago, it still seemed as huge and as new as before. Mitsuki continued to stare in complete awe until he felt a tap on his shoulder.

“Hey, kid! You can’t just block the middle of the road like this, people are trying to walk you know,” A rough voice said from behind him. Mitsuki turned quickly to see a man standing behind him looking rather impatient. 

Mitsuki huffed at the man. “Well excuse me, I just wanted to soak it all up!” He said. The man was taller than Mitsuki (like everyone else)had dark choppy hair and was wearing a pair of frameless glasses. Mitsuki also took note that the man had some sort of green obsession as he was wearing multiple layers of the colour despite it being early spring.

“Hey, you still got plenty of years to soak it up, kiddo,” he said while laughing. Mitsuki fumed slightly at this. He was used to being mistaken for an abundant amount of things but the way the man treated him like a child, it really got on his nerves.

“Well! I’ll have you know, I am actually 18 years old and I’m attending this place right now so I am completely allowed to gaze at the front gate as I please!” Mitsuki said it with complete vigour, standing on the top of his toes in order to gain more height and feel superior. It didn’t work the way he wished as the other still held a few centimeters over him.

“Oh, so you’re just a shrimpy!” The taller said in a mocking tone before walking off. Mitsuki couldn’t help but feel angered. His eyebrows furrowed in frustration and he could feel his shoulders tense. After taking a few deep breaths, he was able to calm himself down.

 

“Ah, you have to check in with the other office to get the room key,” The man sitting at the desk said when Mitsuki got to the main office.

“Eh? But isn’t this the  _ main _ office?” He asked, trying not to sound too impatient.

“Sorry, kid! I don’t make the rules,” The other replied. 

Mitsuki had wandered around the rest of the campus before finally deciding to grab the key to his dorm room. The second office was on the exact other side of campus, right from where he started off. Letting out a groan, Mitsuki adjusted the straps on his bag again and started to walk back. 

“Hello! Is this where I get my room key?” He asked once he walked through the door of the second office.

“Yes, it is!” A voice called from behind the desk. Mitsuki couldn’t see the person and figured they were ducked down beneath the desk. Surely enough, A head popped up and gave him a quick smile. This man had very striking magenta eyes that gave off a friendly impression and Mitsuki couldn’t help but feel sucked into them.

“Sorry about that! I had to move some of these boxes to under the desk for temporary storage,” he said while sheepishly scratching the back of his head. His black locks were rather messy and he was only worsening the problem by running his fingers through it like that. Though to be completely honest, Mitsuki didn’t mind either way.

“What can I do for you?” He asked.

“I was looking to get the key to my dorm room,” Mitsuki responded.

“Oh! Of course, just show me the papers and I can grab it for you!” The man said enthusiastically.

“Thanks! I’m Izumi Mitsuki, by the way.” 

“Momo,” The other said back. 

“No surname?” Mitsuki asked, handing Momo the stapled sheets of paper.

“Well I  _ do _ have one, but the folks here never use it, or my full first name either!” Momo said while scanning the documents. His eyes lit up with recognition when he finally found the line of text he was looking for and he promptly went to grab something out of one of the cubbies that were sitting on the side of the desk.

“Here ya go!” He exclaimed while sliding the small silver key towards Mitsuki. Mitsuki picked it up and put it in his jacket pocket, making sure to find an old chain to put it on later.

“Thanks! Will I see you around campus?” He asked Momo.

Momo laughed at that. “Haha, no. I don’t attend this college, I’m 24. I’m a part-time worker and they let me have this job cause I used to attend.”

Mitsuki’s face dropped for a split second and felt his heart sink a little. This man was really nice and Mitsuki thought it would be nice to hang out more. He was able to cheer himself up a little, though. There were sure to be many other friends to make and he was lucky that Momo was as nice as he was. He could’ve gotten the meanest part-time college desk worker in the world.

“I see, well thank you! I hope to see you again, here if not anywhere else!” Mitsuki said cheerfully. 

“Right back at ya!” Momo called back to him as Mitsuki was walking through the door.

  
  


“I’m home!” Mitsuki called through the mostly empty front hall, there were a few boxes and other items strewn about so he assumed his roommate was already here. He took his shoes off and placed them by the front of the door and started walking to explore the rest. He didn’t get too much time before he bumped into something that was coming from around the corner. 

“Ah! I am so sorry!” He cried out after falling back a bit from the impact.

“No worries, my bad as well,” The other replied. 

Mitsuki looked up to see the exact same man from earlier at the front of the gate. 

“Oh, it’s the shorty!” The man exclaimed. He pointed at Mitsuki as if he were some sort of rare creature and his eyes were wide with shock. It was quite overdramatic in Mitsuki’s opinion. 

“Oh, calm yourself!” He returned aggressively. He was already annoyed by this man, he didn’t want to entertain any theatrics. 

“Heheh, sorry about that! I guess we got off on the wrong foot. I’m Nikaidou Yamato. You?”

“Izumi Mitsuki,” he said. Yamato gave a small smile, nodded, and then walked back to his bed.

“I really am sorry about this morning, though. I must’ve been pretty stressed! But, to be fair, you were just standing there and I got annoyed,” Yamato started, laying down on his bed.

“What kind of half-assed apology is that!?” Mitsuki yelled back at him.

“Fine, fine! I surrender! You win!”

Mitsuki took a deep breath and then a smile formed on his face.

“Yeah, and don’t you forget it!” He exclaimed confidently. Yamato returned the smile back and gave a short salute.

  
  


After that the two became friends… sort of. They would still argue over dumb things and Yamato often made fun of Mitsuki and it escalated quickly most of the time. However, over time, they did form some sort of weird bond. Yamato turned out to be rather comical at times and Mitsuki was always fun to be around. Eventually, they ended up having more fun together than anything else. Mitsuki also learned Yamato was older than him by a year and just took a gap year in between. This was great because Mitsuki was able to make fun of him by calling him “old”.

 

After he felt it was a good time, Mitsuki had decided to come out to Yamato a few months after living together. He was glad it didn’t go  _ horribly _ . However… 

“So, you like guys? Like you know, the people with the-” Yamato started.

“YES! I think we get the point! You can shut up and I swear if you continue that sentence I will-”

“You’ll what? Get your nonexistent boyfriend to beat me up?” Yamato said in a rather cocky tone.

_ God damn it! Fucking smartass. _

“Oh my gosh! So whenever we go to the office together, you act like such a fool because you  _ like _ the guy!?” Yamato was yelling very loudly in a mixture of shock and amusement.

“Shut up! I know it would never work, but yeah, he’s pretty good looking,” Mitsuki said while he gave a small shrug. He knew Momo and him wouldn’t work out but he was allowed to enjoy the man’s looks.

“No, Mitsu! What if he has like one of those evil sex dungeons!?” Yamato said in mock horror, a grin forming on his face. 

“Oh shut up, you’re so stupid!” Mitsuki said, whacking Yamato on the head with a nearby pillow that was on the bed they were currently sitting on. He didn’t even bother trying to figure out why Yamato said such a thing when he clearly didn’t even know Momo. He knew Yamato was only doing it to rile him up.

The two of them spent the remainder of the night laughing and having fun.

  
  


Time flew by really fast for the two of them, and the years seemed to become shorter and shorter. They spent a lot of time together and liked to watch movies a lot, mainly because Yamato’s father used to be an actor when Yamato was a child. They also did stargazing quite often. It felt really right and special like it was just them making dumb jokes while looking up at the sparkling sky. Mitsuki had told Yamato once how stargazing reminded him of his younger brother who when he was younger, kept claiming he was going to meet a shooting star one day. 

Yamato would tell Mitsuki all of his hidden insecurities and Mitsuki would tell him, his.

“Sometimes I feel so angry about things that it’s unreal. People must hate me for it.” Yamato let out a bitter laugh. “I mean, no one really likes me much either, they seem to think that I’m a monster out to get them, even my own family,” Yamato admitted after a quick round of drinking one night. “I’m allowed to have feelings right?”

“Of course! You can feel however you want!” Mitsuki had reassured him, but he knew, deep down, that he still didn’t quite understand.

 

The day of graduation was nearing, though and everyone was stressing and worrying about what they were going to do with their lives afterwards. Mitsuki knew he wanted to get into the entertainment business and was excited to try auditioning later on in the future. Yamato wasn’t quite sure  _ exactly _ what he wanted, but he had some time to experiment, after all.

Yamato did support Mitsuki in his dreams of being a performer and even helped him improve his acting skills. Yamato found himself liking Mitsuki’s spark and felt very drawn to it all those years as roommates.

 

The day of graduation came and everyone celebrated excitedly of finally passing that huge milestone. Mitsuki and Yamato were invited to go various places, usually for drinking, but they decided that they wanted to stay sober the rest of the night to soak it all in.

“Oh my gosh that was so crazy, remind me to never ever do that again!” Mitsuki yelped as he flopped down on his bed. They would be moving out soon so most of their belongings had been neatly packed into boxes already, making the room feel much bigger.

“Okay, but when do you ever plan on attending a graduation again?” Yamato said, raising an eyebrow in amusement.

“It doesn’t matter how or when, just stop me!” Mitsuki groaned into his pillow.

“Hey, can’t fall asleep yet, I’ll make us smoothies, so come into the kitchen.” Yamato nudged Mitsuki’s shoulder and he eventually complied.

“Fineee!” Mitsuki whined as he got out of his bed. He trudged over to their tiny kitchen area and plopped down on the stool. 

They ate and chatted for a long while before realising how late it was getting.

“Aw man, so late!” Mitsuki yelped out when he saw the clock.

“But the Mitsu I know and love doesn’t sleep before 3 am on the weekends,” Yamato said jokingly and mockingly offended but his eyes held more depth and intense emotion.

“Oh shut up you old lug!” Mitsuki cried out. He jumped down from the stool and left his drink on the table, he’d clean it up later. 

He started to walk towards his bed when Yamato interrupted him,

“Mitsu.”

“Yeah?” He responded. He turned around to face the other man.

Suddenly he felt something warm on his lips. It was another pair that was more chapped and slightly larger. His eyes widened all the way and he sucked in a quick breath and opened his mouth just enough to taste a bit of the sweetness from Yamato’s tongue as it quickly swept over his teeth. 

The kiss was chaste and extremely short and they separated immediately after the thrill had cooled down a bit and Yamato realised what he had just done. He looked up to see Mitsuki’s face contorted in a strange way that Yamato interpreted as horror. Yamato felt his own hand covering his mouth in shock, as well. 

“Good night!” Mitsuki let out a yelp and ran towards his bed, pulling the covers over his head in desperation to hide the embarrassment. 

Yamato sighed to himself in shame. He grabbed a nearby pillow and blanket and just fell asleep there on the floor, too scared to get too close in fear he’d be pushed away.

  
  
  


They had been separated for about two and a half years after graduation and it was awkward when they met up again. They hadn’t bothered to talk about it until now and it didn’t go as well as either had hoped.

“Why didn’t you ever respond!?” Yamato said in an exasperated tone. His patience was wearing and he just really wanted answers.

“Because! I thought you didn’t mean it, you backed away! You stopped and never said anything!” Mitsuki yelled back in distress. The two of them had tried hanging out a little before now, it was almost like a pseudo date, a test, an experiment. It was awkward, so very awkward and now they’re here, not even two weeks later.

“You don’t understand any of my feelings!” Yamato shouted back.

“What feelings?! Do you even have any at all!?”

Mitsuki halted, shocked at himself once the words had come tumbling out of his mouth like a violent rockslide. 

Yamato looked equally shocked. The pain was evident on his face as he realised how much those words were contradicting all Mitsuki’s earlier statements. 

“I- I’m so sorry, Yamato,” He stuttered. Yamato’s face went from shock to indifference. 

“Whatever,” He said casually, void of emotion.

“I didn’t mean it! However, you never told me how you felt! How was I supposed to know!?” Mitsuki said, almost sobbing at this point. 

“It doesn’t matter, you don’t love me that way,” Yamato told him.

“So what if I didn’t! I might never feel that way, I probably won’t! But that doesn’t mean you can’t talk to me!” Mitsuki screamed through his tears as if it was washing away all the stress but instead of helping, it just added on in floods.

“I don’t care anymore and neither should you,” The older man said coldly.

He turned to leave and Mitsuki reached out, only to see a shadow of his friend, walking away, completely out of reach. 


	7. Good Morning?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took so long and I apologise! Both me and my waifu Beta, Uno were very busy but the good news is that I actually was able to finish another chapter which should be up shortly!

_ Ouch, that hurt _ , was the first thought that popped into Mitsuki’s mind as he attempted to open his eyes for the first time that morning. His head was in such pain that it felt as if his brain was repeatedly pounding against the inside of his skull. After his first failed attempt of opening his eyes, he tried again except this time he only was able to slightly open one just enough to squint. 

“For fuck’s sake,” he called out to nobody, as they were all asleep. He noticed the hoarseness to his own voice and groaned. Yeah, this wasn’t a good idea. Sighing, Mitsuki sat up slowly. He attempted to run the sleep out of his eyes and yawned. He covered his mouth abruptly when he felt something move against his thigh. Mitsuki looked down slowly and saw Yamato’s head resting on the edge of his right thigh. How the hell did he miss that?

“Fuck… fuck fuck fuck!” Mitsuki whisper-screamed into his palm. He remembered getting to the bar, the crazy foreign guy and then talking to Yamato and that was it. From the talk, he had recalled that they had conversed about their past and he knew it was probably awkward. He remembered Yamato asking if they were ever dating but that was it. 

Mitsuki himself found the topic embarrassing and while he was trying to remember the rest of the night he could feel wetness dripping onto the hand that was still covering his mouth. He had been so foolish and immature back then and he made the stupid mistake to not go after Yamato back then to clarify that while he cared for him, their romantic relationship would never work out no matter how they tried. He didn't even  _ try  _ to fix things until years later and their relationship was awkward after meeting again. 

Mitsuki remembered how 5 years ago he and Yamato had bumped into each other at a store and they slowly became friends again over those past years even though they didn't meet up much in person.

“Why are you crying, Daddy?” Mitsuki looked up at the sound of the small voice to see Takehiko standing right in front of him.

“No no, Daddy is fine, don't worry,” Mitsuki choked out. He pulled his son into a hug. “Don't become such a cry-baby like your silly dad.” 

“Okay,” Takehiko replied. His head nuzzled into Mitsuki’s chest and he could feel his father taking in shallow shuddery breaths. The child knew his father was upset, but did not comment on it. 

“Fucking hell,” they heard coming from the right. Yamato was sitting up rubbing his head with one hand and his eyes with the other.

“Daddy, what does fu-”

“Nothing!” Mitsuki gave Yamato a harsh glare to which the latter laughed awkwardly, as if to say, “please don’t kill me”. 

“I am in so much pain, end my misery!” Yamato yelled out to no one in particular and stretching his arms in the air dramatically. Mitsuki rolled his eyes and threw his pillow at the other’s head.

“There, you’re dead,” he said sarcastically. “Don’t do what I did, Takehiko hitting people is bad,” he said to his son in a low voice. Takehiko gave a serious nod and then peeked back at Yamato to see if he was listening. Yamato tried to suppress his exasperated scowl and forced an awkward smile onto his exhausted face.

“Where are Sou and Tama?” He asked. To figure out the answer, Mitsuki scanned his eyes around the room, only to realise that there wasn't really anywhere to look as they were located in the front hallway. “Ah, poor guy had to drag our sorry asses home, don't blame him if he left us here- Ow! I’m sorry!” Mitsuki had smacked Yamato’s arm and then again gave Takehiko an apologising look. Yamato groaned again but halted when he finally got a look at Mitsuki’s face. The man’s eyes were red and so was his nose and Yamato felt guilt rising in his core every time he thought of Mitsuki’s crying face.

“What is it?” Mitsuki asked, noticing the stares he was receiving.

“You okay?” Yamato whispered leaning closer to the smaller face.

“Yeah..”

“You sure?”

“Yes! I am fine!” Mitsuki said, annoyance showing. Yamato dropped the subject as well but he still felt an edge of worry.

“Takehiko be careful!” Mitsuki called out to his son who was scrambling around the house.

“I will! I just need to find Taa-nii!”

“Taa-nii…” Mitsuki fought back a cringe. It was odd hearing his son refer to others so fondly, and, even though Mitsuki wouldn't admit it, he wasn't too comfortable around Tamaki himself. Too tall and intimidating for his liking but Mitsuki knew he’d have to push pass that judgement since he knew Tamaki was probably a good kid if Takehiko liked him.

“I found him! I found him!” The little boy squealed. Mitsuki stood up and walked over to the kitchen. He had to keep his hands on the wall for balance since he still had that massive headache. Said headache was one of the reasons he barely drinks anymore. 

Mitsuki saw Tamaki exit the hall bathroom with Takehiko tugging onto his pant leg as if to drag him along.

“Hey Yama-san, Sou-chan, Mikki,” the boy greeted them.

_ Oh great, this one does the nickname thing too _ .

“Hello there,” Mitsuki responded hesitantly.

“Taa-nii let me have pudding last night for dinner!” Takehiko said with glee. Mitsuki gave Tamaki this look with a raised eyebrow and responded, “Oh did he, now?” Tamaki gave a smile but Mitsuki could see a small bead of sweat go down his forehead.

Sougo then came into the kitchen as well. He said, “I’ll start up breakfast.” The man gave Takehiko a gentle smile when the boy rushed up to see him and Sougo knelt down to his level. “Do you want to help me?” He asked. Takehiko nodded and climbed up on top of the chair that was next to the sink.

“I’m just going to let him help us count bread, don’t worry,” Sougo whispered to Mitsuki. “Tamaki-kun can help too,” He called the other boy over. Tamaki walked over to the fridge to grab some ingredients.

“Oi, Mitsu.” Mitsuki felt goosebumps appear on his arms from hearing Yamato’s voice. He was super nervous now and was worried it was showing. “Can you come to my room?” 

_ Oh god _

“Ah! That’s not what I meant!” Yamato yelled at the look of shock that was on Mitsuki’s face. “I just wanted to talk to you about some stuff!”

Mitsuki nodded and walked towards the room, using Yamato as a balancing device. 

 

Once they got there, he plopped down onto the bed as Yamato shut the door behind him.

“First thing I want to say is, I’m sorry for getting you drunk!” Yamato exclaimed, sitting down next to him. “Second is that I wanted to properly apologise for all the shit I’ve done.”

“Yamato, I’m sorry too-”

“No, you shouldn’t be! I was being evasive for so long and just a stubborn ass. It was my fault.”

“Stop blaming yourself! We were both stubborn asses!” Mitsuki yelled back. He wore a look on his face that just radiated with ‘if we keep going back and forth, I’m going to get angry.’

“Okay fine! I know we are both tired of going over the past like this, so can we just both realise we were wrong and continue living our lives? Cause, I don’t think it’s worth brooding over anymore,” Yamato said. His arms were raised in mock surrender. 

“Yeah, I think that works,” Mitsuki responded.

“How’re you liking your new cashier job?”

“Sucks just as much as the last one, to be honest,” Mitsuki said somewhat sadly.

The two of them continued to sit there for a few minutes and they both someone ended up lying on the bed staring at the ceiling. They just soaked up the silence they really needed. It wasn’t like the past avoidant silence, it was a silence that was just filled with relief. 

Mitsuki took this time to look around Yamato’s room. It was very empty with only a tv, a closet and some random chair in the middle that was just sticking out like a sore thumb. It was one of those comfy chairs that everyone wants to have at a desk job but it’d be too expensive for everyone to have one. It made Mitsuki feel slightly jealous how some people could have these sorts of things without a care in the world. Even though he knew that despite Yamato’s laid-back attitude, he was actually quite troubled.

“Hey,” Mitsuki said. He was still staring up at the ceiling so it made his statement rather awkward and sudden.

“Yeah?”

“You ever figure out how gay you were?”

Yamato couldn’t help but laugh. He let out large chuckles and even had to sit up and hold onto his stomach because after the first minute of laughing, it started to hurt.

“What?!” Mitsuki said defensively.

“Nothing, just you’re so blunt and while you were drunk you said how much you thought I wasn’t gay. It’s the irony that’s real funny.” Mitsuki flushed at that and sat up as well.

“Well, I’m  _ sorry _ !” 

“Nah, it’s fine and to answer your question I can say that I’ve liked a total of two guys in my entire life,” He chuckled as he said this. 

“Eh!? Who?”

“Doesn’t matter, they probably don’t like me anyway.” Mitsuki frowned at that. Yamato had only liked two guys his entire life and was already giving up. However, he couldn’t really blame the guy considering how Yamato’s first crush ended.

“More about you,” Yamato said. “You like anyone?” Mitsuki blushed.

“Oi Yamato stop it…”

“Oh really? You sure there’s no one out there that makes you pop a hot-”

“SHUT UP SHUT UP!” Mitsuki cut him off frantically. He grabbed a pillow that was resting on the bed and chucked it at Yamato’s head. Things were back to normal at last and Mitsuki wasn’t sure if he preferred this or not but he did know that this was the happier moments since back then even if he still wasn’t overly passionate. It was okay and that was all that mattered at the time, being okay.


	8. I'll Become A Daddy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flashback~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, this was quick update and thanks so much to wonderful beta, Uno!~

Takehiko and Mitsuki got home after they had lunch with everyone at Yamato’s house. It was fun and, by the end of it, Mitsuki’s hangover was kind of gone but Sougo drove them home, just in case.

“That was super duper fun!” Takehiko squealed as he ran around their own apartment the minute they got inside.

“Yeah… it was fun,” Mitsuki admitted.

“What did you guys do when you were out?” Takehiko piped excitedly.

_ Got drunk off my ass, spouted nonsense, and accidently assumed someone was straight. _

“We just chatted a bit.” Takehiko smiled and went off to his own room and plopped on his bed. He was really happy to see his father happy as well and he felt this was one of the first times Mitsuki has been genuinely happy in the entire six months of living with each other. 

He’d actually met Mitsuki over a year ago but because adoption is a long process they didn’t see each other as often. Mitsuki was one of the lucky ones who got the process done quicker than others, and Takehiko was his son only after only half a year. As Mitsuki walked passed Takehiko’s room to take a peek and make sure he was okay, he couldn’t help but suddenly feel really glad that he went through with adopting the boy.

 

\----

It was early January and snow was falling gently from the sky. Mitsuki was walking along a long narrow sidewalk, and the sky was so dark that even the streetlamps could not give off enough light to reassure a weary traveller. Mitsuki gave out a soft sigh as he was treading home. He didn’t like his current job at all, and his boss was just awful. He worked as a cashier for a grocery store and was thinking about quitting and getting another one in a different shop. He was lucky enough to get money sent from his parents every now and then so he could pay for rent and food. His job helped him pretty well, though, and while his apartment wasn’t stellar, it worked perfectly for him.

Mitsuki wasn’t quite paying attention to his surroundings until he heard a loud wail coming from around the corner of the building he was currently in front of. He was startled by the sound and jumped slightly when he heard it. After a moment the crying would not cease and he couldn’t help but feel concerned. He slowly walked up to the corner and turned to see what was making the commotion.  

He saw a small child wrapped in an oversized jacket. He was shivering and his face was very red, probably from a fever. The child continued to whine and cry as Mitsuki bent down to take a closer look. He noticed the child wasn’t big enough to be in school yet, but was not a toddler either. Mitsuki pushed the jacket away to inspect his face which was scrunched up tightly, expressing his pain. The boy’s cries turned into screams and Mitsuki couldn’t help it anymore. He picked the boy up and cradled him in his arms. The child opened his eyes, and Mitsuki couldn’t help but stare for a second.  They were such a pretty hazel colour. After his initial fascination, he found himself speed-walking towards his apartment.

Once he arrived at his front door, he struggled to open it while still holding on to the small child. He eventually got inside and put his stuff down onto the ground. He carried the child into the bathroom and started up a warm bath. The child’s hair was grimy and filled with dirt, so much so that it looked almost black. Mitsuki gently removed his clothing and placed him in the warm water. The boy had stopped crying, instead letting Mitsuki wash him. Mitsuki was careful as he scrubbed the boy’s skin, moving his hands slowly and trying his very best not to hurt him by accident. After washing his entire body, Mitsuki realised that the child’s hair was actually a warm honey gold colour. Once Mitsuki finished washing him, he found a t-shirt of his and put it on him even though it was way too large. He also went and took his temperature and discovered the boy did, in fact, have a fever.

“Who are you? Can you tell me your name?” Mitsuki eventually asked in a soft tone and on his knees so he could look at the boy’s face. The child trembled slightly but calmed down very quickly and looked up at Mitsuki shyly.

“Take,” he whispered.

“Take, where are you from?” Mitsuki asked him.

“Don’t take me back, I don’t want to go back,” Take’s eyes filled with tears and Mitsuki couldn’t help but feel pity.

“Are you being hurt?”

“No,” Take said. Mitsuki let out a sigh of relief and listened to him continue, “I just wanted to find my Mommy or Daddy.”

“Where are they?”

“I-I don’t know…” The boy admitted. He was looking at his feet in shame. 

“I’m going to find them for you, okay?” Mitsuki said. “Do you know your last name?”

“No.”

“Okay, I’ll figure out what to do.” He gave Take a smile though it was slightly forced as he hadn’t been smiling much lately. Mitsuki stood up to leave to the kitchen until he felt a tug on his pant leg.

“Promise me you’ll find my parents?” Take asked. He looked up at Mitsuki with so much warm hope that even the coldest of hearts would melt.

“... I promise,” Mitsuki said hesitantly. Take’s eyes lit up at that and he gave a nod. Mitsuki did not think much about his excitement and he was more concerned about taking care of him in the moment than worrying if the child liked him or not.

Mitsuki made the two a dinner which Take had eaten so quickly, Mitsuki was worried he was going to make himself sick again. After dinner, Mitsuki picked Take up and tucked him into the couch. He then went to his own bedroom and fell asleep.

 

The next morning Mitsuki got up to make some phone calls.

“You found a boy on the streets? He might be the missing child from the orphanage,” the officer on the other end answered once Mitsuki explained what was going on. Orphanage? Did that mean that Take didn’t even have parents at all? Did he make an empty promise to the boy?

Soon after he was on the phone with the director of said orphanage. 

“That boy ran away two days ago! He must’ve gotten himself sick since he’s never been exposed to so many germs at once,” the woman explained. “He’s three years old, almost four, his birthday is in February. He is a real handful, you know? He saw some of his other friends leaving because they were being adopted and asked me why they had to go. I told him it was because they have Mommies and Daddies now and he got quite upset, so he went off looking for them, I suppose.” Mitsuki now understood what was going on and he groaned to himself for making that promise, if he knew the kid was an orphan he could have created a whole bunch of loopholes.

After the call was over, Mitsuki got Take and was planning to bring him back to the orphanage. The boy’s fever went down a lot while he was resting and Mitsuki felt that bringing him back as soon as possible was the best idea, so the boy could get more treatment. 

 

“No! You can’t take me back, Obaa-chan!” the boy screamed when the director tried to lead him inside.

“Take, don’t be unreasonable! This nice young man took care of you, but you can’t stay with him forever! You have to come home,” She scolded. “You can leave once you get a Daddy or Mommy, okay?”

“He’ll be my daddy!” Take screamed.

Wait, what? Mitsuki stared at the boy. Take ran up to Mitsuki and grabbed onto his legs.

“He promised!” 

“Don’t be silly, I’m sure he didn’t prom-”

“I did,” Mitsuki cut her off. Well, what a way to be impulsive.

“You did?” She asked out of disbelief.

“I did.” What on earth was he doing!?

“Adoption is a long process, Izumi-san,” she argued, her face was full of disbelief and slight annoyance.

“Just tell me how to do it and I’ll do it.” What is wrong with him?!

“...Okay,” she said hesitantly. He swallowed a large gulp as he began to shake slightly. Was this  _ really _ a good idea? Well, he’d look super stupid if he backed out right now… What about money?! Oh please, that was hardly an excuse either, Mitsuki knew that his parents would be more than happy to help pay anything he couldn’t if he had a child as well. Before he could convince himself not to, he looked down and gave the boy a gentle rub on the back to soothe him.

 

And so started the long, boring process of adoption for Mitsuki. There were millions of papers to sign, people to ask about, interviews to go to, it was a mess. Mitsuki felt very nervous going into this process and he was even more so while in the middle of it. During that time he would visit Take every now and then and the boy had become extremely attached to him, never wanting him to go and always clinging to his leg whenever he was there. Finally, after half a year, it was just about complete, there was only one thing left.

“He has no surname, so I assume he’ll be adopting yours,” said the woman now sitting in front of him with a large stack of papers placed on her desk.

“Yes. Also, I want to know, what does his name mean?” He asked. He riffled through a few of his own documents just so he could fidget a bit.

“Take comes from the kanji meaning military,” she answered in a bored tone. Mitsuki cringed slightly at that. Takehiko was very kind and gentle and did not fit the image of a fighter at all.

“With that, please write down what his full name will be here.” She slid a piece of paper in front of her and he signed it.

_ Izumi Takehiko _ , it said. 

Hiko, meaning prince.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone wants to know the characters in Takehiko's name, here: 武彦


	9. Frost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nagi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Took long but good news: No more work until a few weeks! Thanks Uno, again for being my beta!

“Daddy, can we go back to the park?” Takehiko asked. He was draped over the side of the couch, staring at his father who was organising the coats in the closet. It had been a week since their sleepover at Yamato’s and things were rather relaxed and calm. Mitsuki paused his shuffling of hangers and looked back at the boy.

“Sure,” he said casually not thinking much of it.

“I want to find the funny tall man again!” The child called out. Mitsuki almost choked on his own saliva. 

“W-what?” Surely Takehiko wasn’t talking about the weird foreign guy! Rokuya, was it?

“Yeah! I told Saki-chan on friday about how he said you were a princess and how you agreed. She said that princesses have princes! I told her my name has the word prince in it, but she shook her head and said it had to be a grown up prince!” Takehiko said. 

He gleamed at his father with absolute pride that he was able to say such intelligent things. The idea that his father was in fact a princess, he knew was false- their house was nothing like a castle. 

However, he truly felt that Mitsuki was just like so many of the royals in his stories. He was hardworking and if Takehiko was honest, which he was most of the time, Mitsuki was also very pretty. The kind of pretty that when his face was calm and the creases between his eyebrows smoothed, he seemed so serene and none should disturb this beauty. Takehiko knew his father would also look ten times as pretty if he was happier more often.

“No, Takehiko. The prince and princess have to like each other first,” Mitsuki said trying (and failing) to hide the slight sarcasm and irritation in his voice. Takehiko, on the other hand, did not recognise this and continued to smile.

“But, he called you  _ his _ princess that means you’re special!” He argued happily.

_ Why do kids have to pay so close attention to minor details?!  _ Mitsuki thought to himself.

“He was just trying to be charming.”

“Okay… but can we go anyways?!” Takehiko had since left the couch and was now tugging on his father’s pant leg.

“It’s really cold outside, and plus the market isn’t open, so we don’t-” he started.

“Please!?” Takehiko looked up at him with wide eyes. Mitsuki sighed, he knew that his son was only trying to help him, even if his intentions weren’t always ideal. 

“Daddy seemed happier when with friends!” Okay he got him now.

“Okay fine,” Mitsuki said. Takehiko’s smile intensified as he jumped a bit in excitement.

“Just don’t be too disappointed if he isn’t there,” Mitsuki reminded him.

“I won’t!”

 

Just as Mitsuki predicted, it was absolutely freezing outside. There was no snow but there was plenty of frost that made it look like it  _ had _ snowed. Takehiko was holding onto Mitsuki’s hand, something they eventually made a pattern after the last visit to the park/market.

Mitsuki felt the the grass crunch under his feet. It was most likely somewhat frozen and the feeling was both relaxing and unnerving, he couldn’t tell. The chilliness of the park also made his hands and feet turn to stone. Mitsuki gazed around the area and saw no one. He could not quite see everything because there was a coat of mist floating through the air over the flat land but he still dismissed the thought that someone was there at all.

_ Yeah, no man in their right mind would actually come here on a cold day like this _ , Mitsuki thought. 

“Daddy! I think I see him!” 

Then again, Mitsuki never thought that man was ever in his right mind.

Takehiko let go of his hand and ran toward the man. 

“Wait! Takehiko!” Mitsuki called, forcing himself to run as well. Right as he caught up to him, he was already panting. Man he was out of shape.

“Hi!” Takehiko said excitedly. The tall blonde turned to look at the boy and smiled.

“I’m Takehiko and this is my daddy,” Takehiko said as he pointed at Mitsuki.

“Hello! I’m Nagi!” The other replied. Right, that was his first name. Nagi then noticed Mitsuki and recognition lit up in his blue eyes. 

“It’s the eccentric drunk!” Nagi exclaimed, covering his mouth with one hand and pointing with the other. 

“It’s rude to point,” Mitsuki told him sternly. He put his hands on his hips and gave the man a tiny glare- which failed because gosh darn, he forgot how pretty this guy was.

“My apologies,” Nagi said with a slight bow.

“What are you even doing out here, in the freezing cold?” Mitsuki asked, an eyebrow raised in suspicion.

“I could ask you the same question, Mitsuki.” Oh so he had remembered his name, miracle this guy could process anything.

“I asked first,” Mitsuki said with a huff.

“Okay, you win!” Nagi winked at him and Mitsuki turned his head to hide his flushing cheeks that were definitely from the cold and nothing else.

“Yeah yeah, quit it!” He snapped.

“Well, Mitsuki, I am out here on this cold winter’s day because it reminds me of home so much!” Nagi exclaimed, throwing his arms out wide. A smile appeared on his face at his own declaration.

“Where are you from, Mister?” Takehiko walked in front of Mitsuki again to get a look at the man to ask the question. Takehiko looked up at him in awe. He had never seen someone so tall except for Tamaki and his insides were like jelly at the exciting prospect of getting to know the prince.

“A place called Northmare!” 

“No such thing,” Mitsuki muttered, trying to hide his animosity. It wasn’t that he truly disliked everything about this man, he was just sick and tired of both his annoying smiles and annoying voice. Whenever he spoke to Mitsuki with that glowing grin of his, it just made Mitsuki all that more depressed. Mitsuki gave a sigh. He shouldn’t be holding such a grudge towards this man, it was unfair. 

“I take it back, sorry,” he said after a moment.

“Oh! Don’t worry, it’s a small country and not very well known!” Nagi reassured him. “It’s up north in Europe and I lived there up until I turned 25 and then I moved here!”

“Ah, right so that’d be a little over three years?” Mitsuki asked him.

“Correct!” Nagi’s smile widened even more than Mitsuki thought possible. Was this man truly so thrilled to speak to him or was happy just his default setting? Mitsuki couldn’t help but feel an unknown weight in his chest lift when looking at Nagi. What was the weight? Stress? Who knows, he sure didn’t but he knew that the people around him would. 

Mitsuki was equally confused as to why he felt the weight fly from his body when he looked at this man, was it the smile? His appearance? Maybe this man of foreign blood was just so peculiar in all ways that it gave Mitsuki an odd sense of euphoria that helped him escape his norm for a quick second. Either way, Mitsuki shook off the feeling and tried to ground himself back to the present.  _ He’s crazy _ , Mitsuki reminded himself.

“Are you a prince there?” Yelped Takehiko, shattering Mitsuki’s daze and he was glad it did.

“Hmm…” Nagi rolled his eyes to the sky and tapped his index finger on the edge of his chin in contemplation. “Do I seem princely?” He finally asked.

“Yes!” Takehiko nodded. At this point, he didn’t care if Nagi wasn’t a real prince. It was the same feeling he felt about his father being a princess. They may not have the actual role, but the boy could feel their lives to be genuinely like that of characters out of a fantasy. 

The feeling of excitement dashed through Takehiko in large swoops and he knew this was the right idea. Takehiko got good vibes from this man and wanted his father to have more friends as well. He obviously didn’t understand the complexity of human relationships but as a good-hearted kid, he knew having more friends was good as long as those friends were nice.

“We should go to lunch now! It’s cold, I’m hungry and we should have fun together!” Takehiko said excitedly. Mitsuki grimaced. He knew he wasn’t as kind to strangers as he used to be, and he could tell this would be awkward. 

“Oh we should!” Nagi said, arms waving about with joy.

“Can we?! Daddy, please?!” Takehiko was tugging on his jacket sleeve.

Mitsuki hesitated. His hands felt clammy with nerves and the thought of being with a stranger was daunting. It was different than it was with Yamato and his friends, Mitsuki at least knew one of them and had back up. He swallowed heavily before answering,

“Sure…”

“Woo!” screamed Nagi and Takehiko in unison, they were such children. Nagi spun around elegantly to express his joy and gave a thumbs up.

“It’s a date!” 

_ Wait, what? _

“Huh?” Mitsuki asked dumbly. The confusion on his face was evident as he felt his shoulders slump forward slightly in perplexity. 

“Yeah, Isn’t that what you say when you make plans?” Nagi asked.

“Ah, right.” Mitsuki gave a slight nod and the three of them walked off towards the nearest diner. Right then Mitsuki felt an odd sense of anticipation of  _ something _ but he bothered not to question it and just let the corners of his lips curve oh so slightly at the sight of the other two’s enjoyment. 


	10. Sweetness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to eat together!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is pretty late cause work started, sorry! Beta'd by Uno da waifu!

Mitsuki found himself sitting in a small and quiet pancake house. Even though it was lunch, Takehiko seemed to be drawn to the restaurant. He didn't say anything, keeping his wish to himself, but Mitsuki knew he wanted to go, as Takehiko had stopped and gazed longingly at the building while they were walking down the street. 

The house itself was quaint. They were sitting in a soft leather booth that was painted in crimson. Takehiko was sitting next to his father, and Nagi was on the opposite end. 

The blonde man chatted away about various things, mostly to keep the young child entertained. Nagi moved his hands animatedly about as he talked. Most likely a western thing, Mitsuki figured. 

Takehiko was being rather animistic with his fork and paper napkin, making them fly through the air and talk to each other. Nagi was joining in on this game and used his spoon to converse with the fork.

“ _ Why hello there, Mister Fork, _ ” Nagi said in a funnier voice than usual. He moved the utensil as if it were talking.

“ _ I’m doing great, Mister Spoon! _ ” Takehiko replied in an equally comical way.

“ _ You look like you have something on your mind. _ ”

“ _ I think that Takehiko’s daddy should get him a milkshake!  _ Did you hear Mister Spoon, Daddy?! I think you should take his advice!” Takehiko squealed. Mitsuki rolled his eyes with a slight smile forming on his face. 

“Okay, just this once,” he said to his son.

“Yes!” Takehiko did a small fist pump and giggled. He then brought the spoon to his ear again as if he was listening to it whisper him a secret.

“Mister Spoon also thinks that Daddy should move and sit next to Nagi because then all the grown ups are on the same side!” He yelped out, grinning. Mitsuki felt a blush warming his cheeks at the idea of suddenly switching seats. He also saw the impish look in Takehiko’s eyes and smile that suggested there was a different reason for him wanting his father to switch.

“Takehiko, don’t you want me to stay with you-”

“Nope! ‘Cause how are you two supposed to talk when you’re over here!” Takehiko reasoned. Sighing, Mitsuki slid out of the booth to go on the opposite end. 

Nagi flashed him a smile and Mitsuki turned his head away in a slight huff. That guy was surely just amused that he was being bossed around by his kid. 

 

When the food came, the three of them all ate their meals happily, the sweet taste of pancakes was always a good stress reliever. The sound of clinking silverware was the only thing heard for a couple minutes before Nagi broke the silence,

“So, Mitsuki, what do you do for a living?”

Mitsuki groaned, already hating where this conversation was heading. “I work as a cashier,” he answered flippantly. He went back to picking at his food with his fork and trying to ignore Nagi’s gaze. 

“Oh! Does it pay well for you and Takehiko?”

_ No _ . “Sure.” Mitsuki sighed and decided that since he disliked listening to Nagi’s voice, he was going to stare at him instead. This thought was subconscious and Mitsuki didn’t quite realise he was  _ actually _ staring at the man until he started laughing. 

“Am I just that beautiful?!” Nagi said in an airy voice whilst acting as if he were flipping his hair. 

_ Yes _ . “Shut up.” 

Mitsuki knew he wanted to keep staring at the irritating man. Said irritating man just happened to also be a really hot and beautiful man but he didn’t feel like admitting that, even internally.

“I really want to be your friend, Mitsuki!” Nagi gave another gentle smile and leaned towards Mitsuki’s ear to whisper in it, “You are also so entertaining to watch when intoxicated, I was laughing for days.”

“Seriously! What on earth did I do that was so amusing!?” Mitsuki shouted out, cheeks red. Nagi laughed loudly.

“You didn’t do anything too embarrassing, I was just teasing you! However, you were very happy and enthusiastic. It was very different than how you were when we talked right before you started drinking. I want to see that again because it was great!” Mitsuki sighed at that. He had to keep reminding himself that Nagi had already seen him at a humiliatingly low (or was it high?) point that night and it felt like he lost a bit of his privacy.

“Well, what are you like when you are drunk?” He challenged the taller man. Nagi’s smile grew.

“Oh! People tell me that I talk in a very business-like fashion about my favourite anime!” Mitsuki scrunched up his nose at that comment.

“You watch anime?”

“Of course! It is the most wonderful things the gods have bestowed to us on this earth!” Nagi placed his hand on his chest, appalled.

Takehiko, who had been ignoring the adults just earlier, perked up at the word ‘anime’. He raised his hand up high like he was in a classroom and wanted to share his opinion. 

“Oh! I love anime too! But daddy only lets me watch it sometimes!”

“We must have a marathon together, Mitsuki too!” 

“Why must I?!” Mitsuki yelled at the man with annoyance, though he could feel a smile forming on his face. Nagi really acted like a giant kid, Mitsuki realised, and he felt himself becoming more comfortable with him since Mitsuki usually liked small children. 

“I wouldn’t want to leave Mitsuki out!” Nagi replied with enough sincerity that surprised Mitsuki. 

He squirmed a bit in his seat. “Oh please, stop trying to get on my good side.” He was only half joking. 

“No! I honestly would love to show Mitsuki my anime collection! In return, I can enjoy one of your passions as well!”

Mitsuki’s heart dropped a bit at that. He didn’t know how and if he should explain to Nagi that he didn’t really have many passions at the moment. The thought itself was depressing. 

“Daddy is a great cook and he bakes too!” Takehiko piped up. 

“Oh! We can cook some traditional Japanese dishes together and it will be  _ magnifique _ !”

“Sure.” Wait, did he really just agree? Mitsuki had no idea when it happened but he discovered that Nagi wasn’t actually as horrible as he first thought. Still annoying with the nicknames and weird speech, but he wasn’t a bad guy at all. He was kind and playful from what he’s witnessed so far and that brightened his opinion of the man, definitely.

 

The check came and Nagi had insisted on paying. Mitsuki argued at first but then realised that one less check to pay meant more money to save, so why not? The three of them walked outside, back out in the cold weather. It had started to snow sometime while they were eating and there was a thin layer forming as they stood, about to part ways. 

“I guess we’ll see you around?” Mitsuki said.

“Of course! And I will look out for you if you ever want to come back to the bar!” Nagi winked and Mitsuki felt a blush form on his cheeks from embarrassment.

“Sure… Well, goodbye! Takehiko say thank you and goodbye to Nagi.”

Instead of doing that, Takehiko grabbed Mitsuki’s arm and pulled him forward.

“Wait! The Prince and Princess have to kiss, like in all the books!” He shouted loudly.

“Takehiko!” Mitsuki yelped. “I’m so sorry! He took your stupid names to heart!” Mitsuki said while tugging his arm back. 

“Ah, it’s alright. He mentioned me being a prince earlier, it’s cute.” 

“Daddy! We came all this way, we hafta do it properly!” Takehiko whined. Mitsuki was about to scold his son before Nagi interrupted,

“Here, how about this?” Mitsuki looked confused at the man and the confusion grew when he saw Nagi going down to the ground. 

He was kneeling so he could be at the same height as Takehiko and winked at the boy before grabbing Mitsuki’s hand and placing a soft kiss on it. It was incredibly gentle and seemed shockingly genuine.

“Does this work?” He asked the boy who was now right in front of him. 

“Yes! Thank you very much, Prince Nagi!” Takehiko clapped his hands together and had a smile on his face that could match the light of a million stars.

Nagi laughed and got up. He dusted himself off, waved goodbye and walked away elegantly. 

Takehiko squealed happily, excited. Mitsuki on the other hand, stood there in shock while trying to blame the redness on his face on the weather. 


	11. Make a Call, Make a Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's all Yamato's fault, now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahaha, this took forever to write!!! Thanks Uno for beta-ing, love you!

“That was the best! Wasn’t it fun, Daddy?!” Takehiko shouted the moment they stepped in through the door, whizzing around the room of the apartment. Mitsuki closed the door and walked to the couch and flung his coat on the side of one of the arms. He then proceeded to slump into the cushions.

He groaned to himself a bit before answering his son. “Sure, Takehiko.” He sounded exasperated, but the small child did not notice, he was too excited. 

“And now we can all hang out together, right?!” Takehiko yelped as he ran up to where Mitsuki was sitting. He got on his knees and put his small hands on Mitsuki’s shoulder, shaking him.

Mitsuki could not understand why a small child found enjoyment in hanging around his father and another adult. Shouldn’t he be more interested in drawing, or playing with his friends? It didn’t make any sense to him. Sure, he had spent most of his childhood with his family, but not to the degree that he wanted to be friends with other adults.

“Now  _ that _ , I am not sure about.” Mitsuki turned his head to see his son’s eyes widen. Takehiko’s eyes creased slightly before he stared up back at Mitsuki in a pleading way. Mitsuki didn’t always know how to react to that. It was like Takehiko was just so innocent and filled with interest in these things that made Mitsuki feel slightly guilty.

“Why not?” Takehiko asked.

“Because, I don’t know if he really wanted to spend anymore time with us.”

“He seemed to.” 

Damn, kids were smart.

 

The rest of the afternoon was spent uneventfully. Takehiko coloured with crayons in his room while Mitsuki read a book. The author was this person who apparently had some history of being a sociopath. Or was it a psychopath? Mitsuki didn’t bother to look it up. Nonetheless, the book was a boring read, in all honesty, and if he just shelved the thing right at this moment, it’d probably never come down again. As Mitsuki walked over to the shelf, about to place the book back in  it, a piece of paper fell from the inside. He bent down to pick it up and realised it had Yamato’s phone number on it. He had probably been using it as a bookmark and had forgotten to take it out.

Mitsuki thought briefly of putting the number on the wall but then decided that after all that’s happened, Yamato was worth being in his cell phone contacts. He deserved a break from all the chaos that had happened over the past decade or so.

After he put the number in, he decided to call Yamato. Only out of pure boredom, mind you. Mitsuki thought that, if anything, Yamato was  _ entertaining _ to put it loosely. 

“Yello,” came the voice on the opposite end.

“Is that even a word?”

“Mitsu! I thought you threw out my number! What brings you to call?”

Mitsuki didn’t know. What was he supposed to say? ‘I’m really bored and my kid is obsessed with that bartender we met last time, oh and said kid also forced the guy to ki-’ Yeah, that wouldn’t work.

“Uh, Hello? Mitsu, you still there?” Yamato called out to him.

“Yeah, I’m here,” Mitsuki said, slightly startled at first. 

“Good, you seemed to blank out or something. What’s on your mind?”

In all honesty, he did not know. He pondered about it for a few seconds.  _ I probably seem even more out of focus _ , he thought to himself. 

“Nothing, I’m bored. Entertain me, old man,” he finally said.

“Who are you calling old? Aren’t you forgetting how old you are, yourself.” Of course he didn’t, he wasn’t stupid or delusional. At least he didn’t think so. Mitsuki took a deep breath because Yamato was making him think now and that  _ hurt _ . 

“Sure, I’m old.” He said finally. There was a tiny pause on the other end. 

“Hey, you alright?” Yamato asked. His voice was hesitant, like he said something he shouldn’t have. “You’ve never admitted that.” 

“Sure I have,” Mitsuki responded. He knew it was a lie, but he needed to distract Yamato, or at least confuse him. 

“Nope, never ever. Not in the past ten years at least, even if there were a few gaps in between.” 

“Fine,” Mitsuki spat out. The malice was more directed towards himself than anyone else. “I’ll tell you, alright!” 

“Oh so there  _ is _ something to tell?” Yamato said and Mitsuki could almost  _ see  _ the smirk on his face through the tone of his voice. It was clear to him now, Yamato didn’t explicitly try to get Mitsuki to explain what was going on, but he sure did it subtly.

“Shut up! It’s nothing really. You remember that guy from the bar?” 

“Which guy, there were lots of men at that bar, it’s a bar, after all.” Again, Mitsuki knew Yamato was having a grand time toying with him and trying to get a concrete answer out of him. And it was working, damn it.  

“You know! The blonde haired man, with the blue eyes. He talks funny.” Mitsuki knew how vague this would sound to anyone else, but Yamato must’ve understood. Nagi wasn’t the type of person who could be forgotten so easily and that was the worst part. 

“Oh, the guy who called you his princess, right?!” Of course that’s what Yamato had remembered. 

“Yes.”

“Oh, so let me guess: you’ve totally fallen for him and-”

“No,” Mitsuki cut him off. “My son invited him to eat and they were being silly children-”

“Wait, so you’re saying you snagged a date with the guy already?!” Yamato interrupted. 

“Would you let me finish!? God. No, it’s not a date if your kid is the one who asks the guy out.” 

“But you  _ wanted  _ it to be one, right?” Mitsuki wasn’t sure about that either. 

“No, look I-”

“Or maybe it was Takehiko who wanted to date the guy-” 

“Oi! Keep your gross ideas away from my son, you weirdo!” Mitsuki yelled, frustrated now. 

“I was only joking, calm down. But you know there are some kids out there who like the people their parents like. It’s a freudian thing,” Yamato clarified. 

“Cool, I don’t care.” 

“Fine, just go on with your story.”

Mitsuki did. He explained how well Nagi and Takehiko got along. He even told Yamato about how Takehiko wanted to spend more time with Nagi and also the…. embarrassing bit. However, he chose to leave out as much detail as humanly possible. Throughout the entire explanation, Mitsuki spoke quickly, trying to seem uncaring, and Yamato wouldn’t say anything besides small grunts of acknowledgement. 

“Oh, I see what’s going on. I was right, Takehiko  _ does _ like this guy,” Yamato said once Mitsuki finished relaying his story. Mitsuki was too tired to bother arguing him. Plus, it seemed like Yamato was implying something else, like he knew something Mitsuki didn’t. That slightly irked the shorter man. 

“Here, I’ll go with you,” Yamato declared after being left in silence. 

“For what?” Yamato couldn’t see, but Mitsuki’s eyebrows quirked slightly. 

“You and I are going to the bar again and I’m going to be your emotional support as you ask blondie out on a date. A real one.” 

Oh no, oh no no no. That was not a good plan, it could never  _ become _ a good plan, not in a million years. But, before Mitsuki could protest, Yamato shouted something close to “We’ll figure out the details later” before hanging up on him. 

Mitsuki felt like he had just sighed his millionth sigh. He did not want everyone messing with his life or guiding his choices, but it seemed like they were. It seemed like it was helpful, though, just a tiny bit.


End file.
